"He had nearly gone somewhere else [in August] and in the end he stayed because it didn't work out and we needed him here," the boss told Arsenal Player.

"Now he can convince everybody. We are open-minded, we believe in his qualities. I personally believe in his qualities. It's just down to attitude and fighting [spirit]. When he has that, Nicklas can be an unstoppable striker. He gets his chance. Our job is about that. Take your chance.

"Fans forgive you everything as long as you produce the performances on the football pitch. That's what people want. I think our fans have a positive attitude towards Bendtner and they will be behind him. Only you can create that with your performances."

Wenger has fielded Bendtner on the right of Arsenal's front three in the past - when Robin van Persie played centrally. But he thinks the Dane is at his best through the middle.

"I see him as a centre forward," said Wenger. "He can use his body [with his] back to goal. He's an intelligent player, he can play intelligent passes and protect. He's a similar type size-wise to Olivier Giroud. The central role is perfect for him."

ADVERT

Copyright 2018 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.